“Have you ever written about yourself?”
Why it's great
A gentle question that pokes straight at the writing dream Lee has buried for years.
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Use it yourself
Have you ever written about your hometown?
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Lee Meets Anna at the Bar, Explained
Can You Ever Forgive Me? · 2018
Chapter 7 of 14 · 3'03"
Over drinks, Lee and Anna talk about the dead writers whose letters Lee sells. Someone toasts Lee as 'a brilliant writer who happens to still be alive,' and Anna urges her to write about herself; Lee jokes that when she dies she just wants somebody to feed her cat.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 1:32–2:22
❝ Monologue · 6 lines Anna Tells Lee to Write Her Own Story
50s
Lee Meets Anna at the Bar, explained
What happens
Lee meets Anna at a bar and shows off the old literary letters she has been selling. Someone toasts Lee as 'a brilliant writer who happens to still be alive,' and Anna asks whether she has ever written about herself. Lee shrugs it off; Anna tells her she should, instead of waiting for a biography.
What's really going on
On the surface this is shop talk between a writer and a bookseller, but Lee is selling forgeries and dodging the obvious question — 'You sure these are the real thing?' — with a shrug: most people, she says, will believe anything you tell them. Anna, who doesn't know, treats Lee as a genuine talent: she urges her to write about herself instead of waiting for someone else's biography. Lee can only joke that when she dies she just wants somebody to feed her cat. Her flippancy hides how much the idea of being remembered — and of being seen — unsettles her.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Have you ever written about yourself?”
- Anna asks whether Lee has ever turned her own life into writing — a question Lee has no comfortable answer for.
- “I just want somebody to feed my cat.”
- Lee's idea of being remembered is small and practical: no fame, no legacy, just someone to keep her cat alive.
- “Can't kick a old dog out on the street, right?”
- A plea not to be thrown out, comparing yourself to a worn-out old dog nobody wants anymore.
- “Nah, most people will believe anything you tell them anyway.”
- Lee's cynical read on the buyers: they can't tell a forgery from the real thing, so she doesn't fear getting caught.
- “This way, you still kind of exist.”
- The argument that selling a writer's letters keeps that writer lingering in the world after death.
Theme
- Deception — Lee passes off forged letters as the real thing, betting that people will believe whatever she tells them.
- Memory — Talk of letters keeping writers alive meets Lee's claim that she doesn't care about being remembered.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level3/8
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I just want somebody to feed my cat.”
Why it's great
It shrinks the fear of death into one small chore, which makes it hit harder.
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Neutral
Use it yourself
I just want somebody to water my plants while I'm away.
“Can't kick a old dog out on the street, right?”
Why it's great
Calling herself an old dog begging for scraps, she makes need sound like a joke.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Can't leave an old friend out in the rain, right?
“Nah, most people will believe anything you tell them anyway.”
Why it's great
Cynical and quotable: it says the con works because people want to believe.
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Informal
Use it yourself
Most buyers never read the fine print anyway.
“This way, you still kind of exist.”
Why it's great
A quiet line about legacy: letters keep you half-alive after you're gone.
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literary
Use it yourself
Old photos are how my grandmother still sticks around.
Monologue
One character carrying the scene — shadow the whole passage❝ the pitch for a memoir
Wouldn't it be incredible if, after you passed on... people were selling your letters? Why on earth would I want that? Well, because. Most of us mortals just disappear. This way, you still kind of exist.
It sells immortality through one sly image, letters still sold after you are gone.
Up next · 08street smartsThe scene: Lee Takes In a Beaten JackTakeaways
What you walk away with- A gentle question can expose a dream someone buried.
- Handing over your own work feels like undressing in public.
- Praising a dead writer can be a way to tease the living.
- Offering to read something is a small, careful kindness.
People also search
Questions, then the linesAre the letters Lee is selling real?
No. Lee is selling forgeries she wrote herself, which is why she answers 'You sure these are the real thing?' with a shrug instead of a straight answer.
Does Anna know the letters are fake?
No. Anna treats Lee as a genuine literary insider, which makes her praise land awkwardly: Lee knows the letters Anna admires are her own fakes.
Why does Anna tell Lee to write about herself?
Anna genuinely likes Lee's writing and thinks her life is worth a book. She wants Lee to stop hiding behind other people's letters and telling other people's stories.
Why does Lee say she just wants someone to feed her cat?
It's Lee deflecting Anna's talk of legacy. She's saying she doesn't care about being remembered after she dies — she just doesn't want to die alone and unmissed.